Philippine gay
Locating the Asog: A Historical Account of Philippine Gay Identity in the Spanish Colonial Period
Abstract
The paper investigates the asog, which is arguably the earliest representation of Cebuano gay identity in the Philippines, within the Spanish colonial period. Specifically, it evaluates how this individuality has been shaped within its socio-cultural and economic milieus. By using critical content analysis, this investigation examines two chronicles and five dictionaries to spot how the asog was inscribed during the Spanish colonial rule in the Philippines. Findings show that the asog was described by priests as a cross-dressing effeminate shaman who performed Satan’s bidding by spreading false news and stealing gold from the natives. However, the asog’s definition changed in the late nineteenth century as it became exclusively religious, while its association as an effeminate man became more secular and nationalistic. In this light, the study attempts to inspect the social conditions that form today’s Philippine male lover identities—an issue that is largely underexamined—and how these subvert Western models of gender and sexuality as well as processes in linguistic translation. Thi
- What are the male homosexual identities that constitute Philippine gay culture? Why is there no male lover liberation movement in the Philippines? These are the two main questions engaged by The Philippine Lgbtq+ Culture and its composer, J. Neil C. Garcia.[1] Scholars should pay a tribute to the University of the Philippines Flatten for the reprint of this unique (up until now) academic inquiry into Philippine gay culture, since it is a very useful resource (its bibliography is prolific) and its diverse range of perspectives should spur LGBT Studies in the Philippines. The uniqueness of Garcia's explore lies also in the author's own experiences as a bakla (see below), although he admits to have generally been influenced by his readings on the gay movements in the United States and Europe.
- The publication consists of nine chapters, essentially organised into two sections (Philippine Gay Society and The Early Lgbtq+ Writers: Montano, Nadres, Perez), with a challenging afterword (Philippine Gay Culture: An Update and a Postcolonial Autocritique). Part 1 is the history of homosexual culture. It focuses on the popular and academic writings about homosexuality which were written during
Philippine Gay Culture
“First published thirteen years ago, Philippine Gay Culture was immediately recognized as a landmark in the examination of male homosexuality in modern Asia and especially in the continent’s former colonies. Written by a Filipino homosexual who is also a distinguished scholar, a fine poet, an acute literary critic, and an angry polemicist, it combined sophisticated theoretical innovation with excellent research, insider gossip, and an idiosyncratic political radicalism. It has become an unforgettable classic. The present edition is still more valuable because it includes both a detailed update on Filipino culture in the broadest sense, as well as a thoughtful self-criticism of the original work, stressing Garcia’s new interest in the formative power of nationalism in a postcolonial globalized world.” —Benedict Anderson, Cornell University
“Garcia is one of the most highly respected scholars on gender and sexuality in the Philippines. He is also an accomplished poet and prizewinning essayist. Over the years, he has written pioneering scholarship on the history and politics of gay cultures and the transnational formation of que
Youth Commentary
By Nelson Everett Toriano, Pacific News Service
Americans often think the U.S. is the world’s most accepting places for gay, female homosexual and transgender people. But a young gay American man finds out differently in the mostly Catholic, socially conservative Philippines.
Mar 26, 2004 – During my trip to the Philippines, my cousin introduced me to people in her high school ROTC program. Carrying paper fans, her male friends skipped toward me from the advocate of their exercise lines. They called me guapo, or “handsome” in Tagalog.
I blushed, having never been approached before by flamers in fatigues.
I was surprised to find that in the mostly Catholic world of my homeland, lgbtq+ culture is more tolerated than in America. From nightlife to the media, baklas (Tagalog for gays) are the norm. The strangest part of the entire experience was realizing that although I’m a gay male, as an American I was uncomfortable with such tolerance.
While the recent court ban on gay marriages in San Francisco — as successfully as President Bush’s proposed constitutional amendment outlawing male lover marriage — attacks me personally, my visit to the Phi
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